as in brute
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
only a heartless villain would kidnap a baby for ransom
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of villain
Some environmental groups see profit-hungry utility companies as the main villains.
—
Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025
Hackman’s Lex Luthor set an incredibly high bar for cinema superhero villains that has seldom been matched (Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight and Josh Brolin’s Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War come to mind).
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2025
Ulrich Thomsen will play Sinestro, a chief Lanterns villain of DC Comics.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Hackman’s aggravation early on that directors didn’t seek out and exploit his comic and even improv talents was handled unforgettably in his portrayal of Superman villain Lex Luthor, a flamboyant oaf of Trumpian proportions.
—Fred Schruers, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villain
Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025
Hackman’s Lex Luthor set an incredibly high bar for cinema superhero villains that has seldom been matched (Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight and Josh Brolin’s Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War come to mind).
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2025
Ulrich Thomsen will play Sinestro, a chief Lanterns villain of DC Comics.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Hackman’s aggravation early on that directors didn’t seek out and exploit his comic and even improv talents was handled unforgettably in his portrayal of Superman villain Lex Luthor, a flamboyant oaf of Trumpian proportions.
—Fred Schruers, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for villain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for villain
Noun
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Smith has been on the outer of the Australian team in the T20 format, his weakest format where his lack of power can get exposed in a game dotted by muscular brutes.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
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Maliki is a divisive brute whom Iran supports to the hilt.—
Dov Friedman,
Foreign Affairs,
17 June 2014
Noun
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Distorted and exaggerated by Weegee’s hand—with grins set in a chilling rictus, or eyes and noses spread wide and pancaked—these idols became monsters.—
Naomi Fry,
The New Yorker,
22 Feb. 2025
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Monster Train 2 looks to be building on the foundations of its predecessor, so players will once again board a train and defend it against incoming monster hordes on several vertical levels at the same time.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Investigation of the week: Anyone wanna play devil’s Daniel’s advocate?—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
14 Feb. 2025
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The album’s artwork depicts a cartoon version of the messy-haired singer with an angel and devil on each of his shoulders — demonstrating its division of impassioned feel-good love songs and down-tempo ballads of loss and defeat.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Williamson spends the entire movie moving from one L.A. locale and subculture to another, meeting a motley crew of criminals rich, scrappy, and everything in between, along the way.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
24 Feb. 2025
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Might be important later: the criminal was able to gain entrance to the White Lotus property when Valentin pulls up on his motorcycle to the security gate to chat with Gaitok, at the exact moment a random SUV containing the thief sails through.—
Dan Heching,
CNN,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Often regarded by historians as a collection of savage tribes, the Scythians emerge as a pivotal force of the ancient world in this monumental history.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2023
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Nearly 32 years ago, Rodney King’s savage beating by police in Los Angeles prompted heartfelt calls for change.—
Aaron Morrison, Claudia Lauer and Adrian Sainz,
Anchorage Daily News,
29 Jan. 2023
Noun
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The 23-year-old has been a beast in the G League, averaging 21 points, 5.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists across 13 starts while shooting 49.5% from the field and 40.3% from the free throw line.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2025
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The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is a beast for workouts and outdoor adventures, with a tough titanium body and a bright display.—
Shubham Yewale,
PCMAG,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Giacomo Casanova, who lived from 1725 to 1798, was a lawyer, a writer, an adventurer, a gambler and a scoundrel who found himself on the wrong side of the law.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
The Denver Post,
20 Jan. 2025
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Now that movie’s writer-director, Leigh Whannell, has returned to bring another classic fiend into the 21st century, with Poor Things scoundrel Christopher Abbott as a family man who starts feeling a little hairy after a full-moon encounter at his childhood home.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
6 Jan. 2025
Noun
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With Kelby Collins coming in as a transfer, there’s enough depth at bandit for Latham to spend more time at wolf.—
Kennington Smith III,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
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Try to distract the bandits one at a time until everyone but Casper is left.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Villain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/villain. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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